Talk with Kirsten Dunst, member of the Feature Film Jury

Kirsten Dunst - Member of the Feature Films Jury © Dominique Charriau / Getty Images

Kirsten Dunst had her start in film at the age of seven, directed by Woody Allen and Brian De Palma. Ten years later, the lovely talented blond made a hit in The Virgin Suicide, by Sofia Coppola, who was to become her friend and confident. In the wake of the Spiderman trilogy (2002-2007), by Sam Raimi, she won the Best Actress Award in the 2011 Festival de Cannes, when she was 29, for her role in Melancholia, by Lars Von Trier. Since then, cinephiles have found her again working with Walter Salles and, more recently, Jeff Nichols. The effervescent American actress went along with an offbeat interview.

Which feature film in your repertoire would you choose as a place you would have liked to live?

That's a difficult question, because in general, when you have finished a film, you want nothing more than to escape from it! In any case, it would certainly not be Melancholia! The world of The Virgin Suicides was also so terribly sad… Who would want to live in a house with such an oppressive atmosphere, with such a horrible mother and such a cowardly father?

You have played in happier films!

Yes. I would choose Little Women, 1994, a feature film by Gillian Armstrong, with Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder and Clare Daines, which I acted in more than twenty years ago. I think that is where life would be easier and more pleasant. In this film, I had several big sisters, a charming house, and I was supposed to marry Christian Bale!

Which character that you have played or played opposite would you accept as a companion to go the ends of the earth?

Spiderman!

Which film is secretly a reference for you but one that you would never admit?

I am not ashamed of any of the films that I appreciate and in general, I don't have any guilty pleasures. Every feature film has its reasons for existing, even if it's just a romantic comedy! It is my mood that guides my choices. In general, I like to watch a Rom-Com when I am on my own. In that case, I just choose the most recent one.

What kind of cinephile are you?

I go to a lot of films, but I have never seen as many films in such a short time as I have this year in Cannes! It's been a long time since I sat in a dark cinema without a box of popcorn, a hot dog or a soft drink! Here, all you are allowed to take in is a bottle of water and a few mint chocolates.

Which director that you have worked with would you invite on a trip around the world?

Sofia Coppola, with no hesitation! Because she has the best taste of all of the directors I have dealt with. We would have the best holiday together ever, eating the most delicious food, drinking the best rosé and the best champagne!

To what extent has she influenced your work?

Most of all, she has influenced me as a woman. The Virgin Suicide was the first film in which I was allowed to be sexy. Nobody had filmed me this way before. She described me with such beauty and class… She gave me the opportunity to grow up, through this film, as a woman, without this phase becoming unpleasant.

“I try to choose roles in films that I wouldn’t want to see.”

Which film in your trajectory best describes your career?

I don't know why, but I immediately thought of Interview with the Vampire! (Neil Jordan, 1994). Seriously though, it is difficult to see oneself clearly and to be your own judge… I think that others can always do it better. I choose a lot of scripts from a rather melancholy world, that have something strange about them. I try to choose roles in films that I wouldn't want to see. For example, I would love to play in a western.

Which sound track from a movie you have played in would you take to a desert island?

This question obviously makes me think about Sofia Coppola's films, because she attaches great importance to music. The original sound track of The Virgin Suicide is brilliant and I love Air. But on a desert island, I would want to move, to dance, and I think I would choose the track from Marie-Antoinette (1999), which is more varied.

If you could have dinner with an actress you admire, whom would you choose?

I am lucky because I have had dinner with so many amazing actresses! Charlotte Rampling, Juliette Binoche… But I would love to have dinner with Gena Rowlands. She is my favourite actress! I loved her in all of Cassavetes' films. She really inspires me. She is not afraid of anything and for me, that is the very definition of being an actress. I love the feeling that an actor is not acting. And that is the impression that Gena Rowlands gives me.

Are you tempted to do any directing?

It's in the works! I am going to shoot my first film next year but I can't say anything more about it because the details will be announced after the Festival de Cannes.

If you were to start a film magazine, which member of the jury would you like to do that with?

Probably with Valeria (Golino) and Vanessa (Paradis), to create an editorial team composed exclusively of women critics!

A word on your experience as a juror?

It's been one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had. I had a fabulous time with amazing people. It is very moving to think back on it. Everyone had a sense of humour, especially Donald (Sutherland)!